Around 150,000 tonnes of potatoes from the previous season remain unsold in cold storages across Rajshahi, leaving thousands of farmers and traders facing mounting losses ahead of the new harvesting season, according to Rajshahi Cold Storage Owners' Association.
Early varieties of potatoes are expected to be harvested in the region within a month. However, a significant portion of last season's produce remains in storage as farmers and traders struggle to sell their stocks at profitable prices.
The situation has been compounded by a deadline set by cold storage owners for clearing the stocks. Selling at current market prices would mean heavy losses, while keeping the potatoes in storage would involve additional rental costs and the risk of auction.
Potatoes are currently selling for Tk12-14 per kg in Rajshahi's wholesale markets and Tk15-20 in retail markets. However, production, transportation and storage costs together amount to Tk22-25 per kg, meaning farmers and traders are losing around Tk11 per kg at wholesale prices.
According to the Rajshahi Cold Storage Owners' Association, around 6.5 lakh tonnes of potatoes, packed in nearly 80 lakh sacks, were stored in 36 cold storages across the district this year.
Around half of the stocks have already been cleared. Of the remaining potatoes, about one-third will be kept for use as seed, leaving approximately 150,000 tonnes of commercial potatoes unsold.
Cold storages need maintenance and preparation ahead of the arrival of the new season's potatoes in January and February. Owners have therefore urged farmers and traders to clear their stocks by November 30. However, considering their financial difficulties, the deadline may be extended until December.
Sheikh Mobinur Rahman, a potato farmer from Basantakedar village in Mohanpur upazila, has stored 250 sacks of potatoes at Uttara Store in Paba upazila.
He said his total costs, including production, transportation and storage, amounted to Tk22-25 per kg, while the potatoes were now fetching only Tk12-14.
"At these prices, I cannot even recover the cold storage rent. Thousands of farmers like me are caught in a dilemma. We will incur losses whether we take the potatoes out or leave them in storage. If we fail to clear the stocks within the deadline, the owners will auction them to recover the rent," he said.
Fazlur Rahman, general secretary of the Rajshahi Cold Storage Owners' Association, said agreements with farmers and traders allowed them to keep potatoes in storage until November 30.
However, the association may grant some additional time considering the market situation and farmers' difficulties. Even so, all stocks must be cleared by December.
"Last year, we had to make public announcements over loudspeakers to urge people to collect their potatoes. If necessary, we will issue notices and make similar announcements again this year," he said.
Potato trader Helal Uddin of the Baya area said around 60% of his stored potatoes remained unsold.
He expressed concern over finding buyers for such a large quantity within the limited time, saying the current market prices were not even enough to cover storage costs.
Ali Ashraf Hossain, manager of Asma Cold Storage in Baya, said farmers were not collecting their potatoes despite receiving notices.
He said the facility would not be able to keep the potatoes beyond November 30. Any stocks remaining after the deadline would be auctioned to recover outstanding storage fees.
The price slump has also hit small traders who purchased potatoes and stored them for sale later.
Iftekharul Islam, general secretary of the Rajshahi District Potato and Perishable Goods Traders' Association, said farmers and small traders had been incurring losses for the past two consecutive seasons.
He said potatoes were once again being sold well below production costs, leaving thousands of farmers and traders at risk of losing their invested capital.
Many were now considering abandoning potato cultivation next season, he added, alleging that the government had taken no effective steps to address the crisis.
With the new harvesting season approaching, falling prices and pressure to clear cold storages have created uncertainty across Rajshahi's potato sector.
Failure to sell the remaining stocks in time could deepen farmers' and traders' losses and affect next season's cultivation, as many may no longer have sufficient capital to invest in a new crop.
